Secret Love, Hidden Hearts
by Spontaniously Insane
Summary: There love was forbidden, shunned. Love, strengthened by undying friendship, is hard to ignore. We don't choose the people we fall in love with. OuiserClairee slash. Steel Magnolias Fanfiction needs love too!
1. Grave

Dear readers,

I know I am going to sound insane, but this paring is not the one in the movie. My school is doing Steel Magnolias as a play and the actors are wonderful. Ouiser is the best at doing her part and Clairee is the best counter-part to Ouiser. The two of them have such chemistry together, and I'm not sure they're even trying for it. They just fit together, you know? They're the two (in character, of course!) who you can see walking down the street, arm in arm or hand in hand, talking and laughing. And with Ouiser's personality, that's saying something! So please, bear with my insane logic and read it however you want: as though they are good friends or something a tiny it more.

Tori

--

It was Christmas morning in Chickuapin Parish, and all was quiet. The snow fell heavily on the ground, muffling any and all sounds. No birds stirred in the trees, no squirrels dared venture from their nests on that cold morning. All was still and silent. Only one soul dared to stir amid the quiet.

She was quite alone in the little town's graveyard. No one watched her as tears streamed down her still youthful face; no one watched her back heave with quiet sobs. No one was there to see her crying over a small grave, hunched over in the dirt. No one cared that Ouiser Boudreaux, a still young girl of 25, was ruining her reputation as a conniving, mean ol' witch of a girl with no heart and no friends. Her dark black hair fell from her tight bun in long wisps, wet with snow and her tears. Her deep brown eyes were glassy, her cheeks red and flushed. Her sobs quieted, drowned out by a howling breeze that whistle between the gravestones.

"Hello?" The whisper of a word echoed across the muffled land, drifting on the wind past Ouiser and the grave as no more than an echo. The woman stopped, spinning around in anger, wiping the tears from her face. The strange girl was standing at the gate to the graveyard, youthful face a mask of worry. Her eyes shone with true concern.

"What do you want?" Ouiser snapped, standing. She tensed as another cold breeze blew through the cemetery, shaking what little leaves were left on the trees to the ground. The strange girl came closer, stopping a few feet from the much taller woman.

"Why are you crying?" The girl asked, tilting her head slightly in question, her brown ringlet-curls that were not tightly bound in her low bun bouncing around her face. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, her neck and chin buried beneath a thick wool scarf. Her hands were covered in matching wool gloves and shoved into her pockets. On her head was a matching hat, the fabric covering the tips of her red ears. She wore a thick coat and boots that carried snow with them. Ouiser, in comparison, was dressed rather sparsely in a simple overcoat, boots and scarf.

"I was not cryin'!" The taller corrected, pointing with a very cold and rather red hand. "And who are you, anyway? I know everyone in this town, but I've never seen hide nor hair of you." Ouiser closed the gap between them with a single step, so that you could barely pass a penny between them. She then realized that this girl was not as short as she once appeared; she only had to look down slightly to meet the other's bright green eyes.

"You must be Ouiser Boudreaux. My name's Clairee, Clairee James. I just moved in three days ago." The shorter said, sticking out her hand for Ouiser to shake, and then sticking it back in her pocket when the taller made no move to take it. Her smile was genuinely friendly; something Ouiser never saw anyone do when talking to her.

"Being here three days, you must know of my reputation. Be that as it may, you're still here. Why?" Ouiser said, confused. Clairee's face returned to being drawn with worry.

"You were crying..." She started.

"I said I was _not_ cryin'!" Ouiser snapped, face flushing redder. Clairee didn't jump back or even flinch like most would have reacted. Instead, she began again.

"It does not matter if you were crying or not, because even if you weren't, I still would be here. Its Christmas morning and no one should be alone on Christmas, even cranky old witches." Clairee said, smiling. She reached out and put her hand on Ouiser's arm in a comforting way. "You should be with your family."

"I am with my family." Ouiser said, but her normal confidence was gone from her voice. She slouched slightly where she stood, covering her exposed ears from the sudden gust of cold wind that blew by them.

"Well, then, that won't do. You can come with me. I was on my way to the beautician's down the way. The owner invited me over for Christmas morning hot chocolate and presents." Clairee said. She reached out and touched Ouiser's cold hand lightly before taking it in her own. The warmth of Clairee's gloved hand radiated down Ouiser's arm, making the taller smile.

"I'm not 'zactly sure Annabelle's gonna want me in her shop, as dirty as I am." She said, resisting Clairee's pulling. "And... I gotta admit, you were right. I was crying. My... my dog died yesterday morning. They just finished burying him today. He was my only true friend in this town. No one else likes me." Ouiser wiped at her face with her sleeve angrily, willing her tears away.

"I'll be your friend, then." Clairee said with a smile, pulling the taller along with her as she made her way down the road. "And you'll be my first friend, too."


	2. Cookie

The salon was alive with the crackling of a cheery fire and the bustle of people going about their chores. The owner and head-beautician at the time, Annabelle, was running about with mugs of hot chocolate and other Christmas goodies, setting them on tables and work stations here and there. The radio was playing soft Christmas music, the cheery tunes drifting out the window to meet whoever decided to pass that way that morning. It, along with the green and red decorations on the street signs and front porches made the day feel warm no matter how snowy.

The tingling of the shop's bell signaled Annabelle to the entrance of two very cold women, one slightly shorter, and much happier, than the other. Both were red in the face from the long walk over, and the taller wore a slightly unhappy frown. Annabelle removed her smock hurriedly, and after giving her apprentice, Elizabeth, some extra tips on hair and checking on her daughter, Truvy, the woman went to greet the pair at the door.

"Merry Christmas!" Clairee said, beaming. She wrapped her arms around the older woman's neck, giving her a cold hug. Annabelle hugged her back, before helping her get her coat off and hanging all her snowy cloths on the wrack near the door. Ouiser watched, hiding her small smile under the scarf Clairee exchanged with her own thinner scarf, shuffling to the little corner behind the door. Annabelle only noticed her as she put Clairee's wet boots on the mat by the door, and when she did her face lit up with Christmas cheer.

"Is that Ouiser Boudreaux that little Clairee managed to rope into coming?" She asked almost mockingly, walking over to observe the now rather annoyed Ouiser with cheery green eyes. "My, you do look cold. Come in, come in. It's Christmas, so even curmudgeons get love today." Annabelle reached up to take Ouiser's hand to lead her out more into the room, but Ouiser crossed her arms over her chest instead of taking the offer.

"I can get my coat myself." She half-snapped, watching Annabelle with hard eyes. The woman backed off.

"Alright, sorry." Annabelle shrugged, walking off to go get two hot mugs of chocolate. "Show a little kindness and you get yelled at. Sheesh." Annabelle muttered to herself as she walked quickly past Clairee. The shorter heard her and hit her on the head with a gingerbread cookie. Ouiser paused in hanging up her coat next to her scarf to stare with a bemused expression, before turning back to her work, half-hiding a chuckle. Annabelle stopped and turned around, shaking the gingerbread crumbs from her red hair.

"What?" She asked, but Clairee shushed her quietly, her eyes glancing back at Ouiser, who was shaking her head at their gossiping, acting like she disapproved of it. She was making herself look like a hypocrite at the same time, being the literal Queen of rumor spreading in the Parish and all. Clairee's eyes shone with a mischievous gleam, and she motioned Annabelle quietly to the back room. Annabelle followed her and shut the door behind them, curious.

"Why did you hit me with a cookie?" Annabelle asked, her voice only slightly annoyed. Clairee put her hand son her hips in a womanly sort of way, looking at Annabelle with serious eyes.

"You aren't going to say anything bad about her while I'm here, alright? I know she's a bit on the touchy side, and I know that most people stay away from her if they have any sanity. But she's not mean just because she likes being mean! She's like a little tomato seed – she's hard and uncaring on the outside, but if you give her love and warmth and care she'll open up and blossom." Clairee said, crossing the room with silent steps. Annabelle watched her, her face somewhere between confused and angry.

"Clairee, never make any more analogies, yours stink." She said, taking a left over cookie from the tray on the counter she was standing next to. Clairee turned, cookie half in her mouth, scowling.

"That's not the point!" She said, biting off the poor gingerbread-mans' head. "I'm just asking not to condemn her to hell every time she snaps at you just because people say she's evil. Give her a chance to warm up to you and then she'll be nice. I promise."

"Alright, no more judging. Not even a little bit. Now I'm going to go give her a cup of hot chocolate, so pray I live through it." Annabelle said, taking a steaming mug from the counter and ducking a flying cookie at the same time. She stopped when Clairee made a sound like she wanted to say something, and the red-head turned around.

"Anna... I have to go get one last Christmas present, so don't start that without me, please? I won't take long!" Clairee said, green eyes grinning where her face was not. Annabelle smiled, turning back to the door.

"Don't leave me with her long or I might not be here when you get back." She said, and departed. Clairee followed, beaming, grabbed her winter stuff and ran out the door before Ouiser could say anything to her. She flew down the street, past the people and their dogs, past women with children dressed in their Sunday best in tow, past the dark shops that didn't open that day. She skidded to a halt in front of the only open shop on the block and quickly went into the warm building.

After making her purchase, she left the store a lot slower than she entered; carrying a large box like it was her baby. She was grinning from ear to ear.


	3. Cheer

Chapter Three

Cheer

"What is takin' that woman so long?" Ouiser snapped, munching on the neck of a beheaded gingerbread man. Annabelle, being of patient mind, ignored the impatience of Ouiser in favor of a more hopeful suggestion.

"She should be back any minute." She replied, watching the hot-chocolate pot bubble warmly. "She shouldn't be long."

"You said that five minutes ago!" Ouiser shook the gingerbread man by the leg at her angrily.

"And now I say it's going to be a few..." She stopped when the door opened. Clairee trudged in, covered in snow and shaking. Her coat was draped over her package loosely, and her gloves were nowhere to be seen. Her fingers were turning blue at the ends and her face was so red that it could be used as a warning beacon. Annabelle rushed to her with an open blanket.

"Look at you, poor child! Riskin' your life for a single present." She wrapped the blanket around Clairee's shoulder, sitting her down on the couch and setting the box on the table. "Why is your coat over it like that anyway?" Annabelle asked, taking the coat and hanging it on the rack with her other wet affects.

"No reason to get so cold for a single gift. Who's it for?" Her curiosity overtook her and she reached out to touch the package. Clairee's cold hand grabbed Annabelle's, pulling it away.

"It's..." Clairee coughed roughly into her free hand, "It's for Ouiser. Don't touch it." Her eyes were full of determined vigor. Annabelle backed off, returning to the hot-chocolate. Ouiser looked over at the half-frozen woman with wide eyes, startled. Her eyes drifted to the box on the table, and for a moment she was rushed with an unnatural feeling of warm anticipation. She shook the feeling away and walked quietly over to the box, ghosting her fingers over the surface before picking up it.

"If it's not money I probably won't like it." Ouiser said, glancing Clairee. She was smiling, egging her on to open the package. Ouiser pried at the lid with her thumb, pushing the lid back only a crack. Two big, brown eyes met her's, staring at her through the little space.

With a tiny little yap of a bark, the creature in the box jumped up, knocking the lid off onto the floor. It put its tiny little paws on the lip of the box and licked at Ouiser's face in a happy greeting. Ouiser, though annoyed that there was a tiny, yappy little dog licking at her face, could not completely hide her smile. She sat down next to Clairee, put the box down beside her, and set the puppy in her lap. It sat down, tail wagging frantically, wriggling to get back to its licking.

The puppy was fairly small, with big brown eyes and wiry hair around its muzzle. Its fur was a mottled mix of red and chestnut and light brown and rust colors, and its chest was a dainty cream. It had black around his face and paws and on the very tip of the tail, and it had two little white toes. It waited a second longer and then jumped back up in Ouiser's face, licking.

"So, like it?" Clairee laughed, punctuated with several coughs. The puppy turned to her and jumped in her face, making her laugh. Ouiser tried to laugh with a fake cough into her arm, effectively hiding her smile as well.

"S'ok, for a dog." Ouiser said. The puppy, completely content for the moment, trotted back into Ouiser's lap, stretched, and lay down, asleep. Ouiser's face lit up with a half-smile as her eyes watched the little gift of Christmas cheer snooze softly in her lap. Clairee scooted over and rubbed the puppy's head, leaning her own head on the taller's shoulder. Ouiser flinched slightly, but didn't move away completely. Ouiser looked over at the brunette, and her annoyed pout turned to an angry frown. Clairee was asleep on Ouiser's shoulder.

"Oh lord!" Ouiser groaned loudly. She looked around and realized she was completely alone in the shop. She groaned again, bringing her hand to her face. "Damn girl..."


End file.
